Song of Songs 8
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
8 If only I could treat you like my brother,[a]
one who nursed at my mother’s breasts,
I would find you in public and kiss you,
and no one would scorn me.
2 I would lead you, I would take you,
to the house of my mother(A) who taught me.[b]
I would give you spiced wine to drink
from the juice of my pomegranate.
3 May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.(B)
4 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.(C)
Young Women
5 Who is this(D) coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on the one she loves?
Woman
I awakened you under the apricot tree.(E)
There your mother conceived you;
there she conceived and gave you birth.
6 Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.(F)
For love is as strong as death;(G)
jealousy is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames(H) –
an almighty flame![c]
7 A huge torrent cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth[d] for love,(I)
it would be utterly scorned.
Brothers
8 Our sister is young;
she has no breasts.(J)
What will we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver barricade on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with cedar planks.(K)
Woman
11 Solomon owned a vineyard in Baal-hamon.(L)
He leased the vineyard to tenants.(M)
Each was to bring for his fruit
one thousand pieces of silver.(N)
12 I have my own vineyard.[h](O)
The one thousand are for you, Solomon,
but two hundred for those who take care of its fruits.
Man
Woman
Footnotes
- 8:1 Lit Would that you were like a brother to me
- 8:2 LXX adds and into the chamber of the one who bore me
- 8:6 Or the blaze of the Lord
- 8:7 Litall the wealth of his house
- 8:10 Or was
- 8:10 Or brings
- 8:10 In Hb, the word for peace sounds similar to Solomon and Shulammite.
- 8:12 Lit My vineyard, which is mine, is before me; Sg 1:6
- 8:13 In Hb, the word for You is feminine.
- 8:14 Lit Flee
Song of Solomon 8
Easy-to-Read Version
8 If you were a baby, like my little brother nursing at his mother’s breasts,
and if I found you outside,
I could kiss you,
and no one would say it was wrong.
2 I would lead you into my mother’s house,
to the room of she who taught me.
I would give you spiced wine
squeezed from my pomegranate.
She Speaks to the Women
3 His left arm is under my head,
and his right hand holds me.
4 Women of Jerusalem, promise me,
don’t awaken love,
don’t arouse love, until I am ready.[a]
The Women of Jerusalem Speak
5 Who is this woman
coming from the desert, leaning on her lover?
She Speaks to Him
I woke you under the apple tree,
where your mother gave birth to you,
where you were born.
6 Keep me near you like a seal you wear over your heart,
like a signet ring you wear on your hand.
Love is as strong as death.
Passion is as strong as the grave.[b]
Its sparks become a flame,
and it grows to become a great fire[c]!
7 A flood cannot put out love.
Rivers cannot drown love.
Would people despise a man for giving
everything he owns for love?
Her Brothers Speak
8 We have a little sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown.
What should we do for our sister
when a man comes asking to marry her?
9 If she were a wall,
we would put silver trim[d] around her.
If she were a door,
we would put a cedar board around her.
She Answers Her Brothers
10 I am a wall,
and my breasts are my towers.
And he is satisfied with me![e]
He Speaks
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.
He put men in charge of the vineyard.
Each man brought in grapes
worth 1000 shekels[f] of silver.
12 Solomon, you can keep your 1000 shekels.
Give 200 shekels to each man for the grapes he brought.
But I will keep my own vineyard.
He Speaks to Her
13 There you are, sitting in the garden.
Friends are listening to your voice.
Let me hear it too!
She Speaks to Him
14 Hurry, my lover!
Be like a gazelle or a young deer on the mountains of spice.
Footnotes
- Song of Solomon 8:4 until I am ready Literally, “until it desires.”
- Song of Solomon 8:6 the grave Or “Sheol,” the place where dead people go.
- Song of Solomon 8:6 great fire Or “the flame of the Lord.”
- Song of Solomon 8:9 trim Or “supports.” Often horizontal beams and towers were built into walls to strengthen and support them. But here, this seems to be a decoration.
- Song of Solomon 8:10 he is satisfied with me Literally, “in his eyes I find peace.” In Hebrew this is also like the names “Solomon” and “Shulamith.”
- Song of Solomon 8:11 1000 shekels About 25 pounds (11.5 kg). Also in verse 12.
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